Metallicist wrote:When someone asks me for change I have a scintillating repertoire of about three responses:1. No.2. Grunt ("No")3. Make non threatening eye contact and say nothing4. Offer them them the still toasty warm half of the tedgy wedger I'm taking back to work.

I guess I just don't see much reason to head west of Blair for drinking these days...

I appreciate your self-restraint. Outside of Maduro and the Terrace, I wouldn't say I have any favorite haunts in the immediate downtown area either. Not to say I don't make appearances at other locales around the square and around State St, but I know what you mean.

boston_jeff wrote:The honesty of panhandlers is a very important issue to take up. I'm glad you have so much free time, maybe you can design a homeless person lie detector too. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I lived in a big city, I never ran around offering sandwiches, tokens or "ticket booklets" to anyone (seriously). I just gave change occasionally, or passed them by. If they were entertaining, maybe a dollar. WTF right do I have to insist that spangers use the money I give them for what I deem to be appropriate? Its no wonder none of them took you up on it.

I know that many of you think that the homeless in the US are lazy addicts who should get a job, but most are self-medicating mentally ill. Hassling them and taking away what little dignity they have by tossing giant bags of dog chow at their feet or offering half eaten sandwiches to call their pathetic bluffs seems equally pathetic. But whatever gets you off.

What exactly is the difference between 'addict' and 'self-medicating mentally ill'? If you can't stop yourself from drinking/using, the original motivation doesn't really matter. It's a question of willpower and you're an addict. And please explain why these people are owed 'dignity'? If they wanted dignity they'd do something with their lives and get over their addictions.

boston_jeff wrote:If you don't know the difference, I can't have a dialogue with you.

Seems to me like an honest question was asked. Why would you throw out a "you just don't get it like I do" sort of statement?While I don't agree with the "these people have got to pull themselves up by their bootstraps" mentality, I do have experience with mental illness (firsthand and a 10 year tenure caring for those with varying mental afflictions). A line has to be drawn somewhere... while I consider myself empathetic in most situations, there still are plenty of cases of people who are more than capable of helping themselves--- which was precisely the point of my story with the young woman using her dog to beg for money. It was blatantly obvious none of the money she was given went towards feeding her dog - perhaps it was a bit obnoxious the way my friend dealt with it...nonetheless, as a person afflicted with mental illness, I find it equally obnoxious that one would automatically write off street beggars as mentally ill.

Elrond wrote:What exactly is the difference between 'addict' and 'self-medicating mentally ill'? If you can't stop yourself from drinking/using, the original motivation doesn't really matter. It's a question of willpower and you're an addict. And please explain why these people are owed 'dignity'? If they wanted dignity they'd do something with their lives and get over their addictions.